Ethics Scan: Media Bias in Poland and Britain

Media ethics in nations around the globe can be as controversial, and thought-provoking, as they are in the United States. They are worthy of an occasional look, which is the goal of Ethics Scan.

A Polish public broadcaster is back to work after a suspension stemming from her tough interview with Poland’s deputy prime minister over his attempts to block a controversial theater production. He accused TVP, the public broadcaster in Poland, of “manipulating” public opinion.

The interviewer was suspended hours after the interview when the minister complained that her aggressive techniques were contrary to the expected standards of public television. However, TVP’s ethics committee decided that the journalist did not violate network ethics standards and was justified in grilling the government official, whose comments about TVP and its journalist were considered “unjust and hurtful.”

In the United Kingdom, the British Broadcasting Corp. discovered from a viewer survey that they wanted “less bias and political opinion in journalism and news reports.”

The BBC Trust, the network’s governing body, also found that viewers wanted fewer game shows and cooking programs, but more high-quality drama. BBC is the world’s oldest national broadcaster, dating to 1920.

In its analysis of the survey results, BBC said it was not clear how it was biased, since respondents on both sides of the political spectrum complained the corporation was against them.